Both pre-season tests will take place in Barcelona as planned, it has been confirmed. The original plan came under doubt when Pirelli argued that testing of the new tyre needed to take place in warmer conditions.
As the compounds are expected to be drastically different next season, the tyre manufacturer wanted at least one test to take place in hot weather conditions so Pirelli could properly estimate their performance at the warmer races.
Though teams like Mercedes and Ferrari agreed with Pirelli, Red Bull and others argued it would be irresponsible to travel to Bahrain, the intended host of the test, in a time of such cost-saving measures.
This weekend, F1 bosses Charlie Whiting and Bernie Ecclestone met with teams to resolve the issue. It was decided to stick to the original plan, with both preseason tests taking place in Barcelona in February and March.
But the new for 2017 tyres will still need to be tested in the warm conditions that Spain in the winter just won’t be able to provide. It’s expected Christian Horner’s suggestion of shifting the in-season test to Bahrain will be followed. This would provide the perfect opportunity for Pirelli and wouldn’t leave the poorer teams out of pocket.
Comments.
Loading comments…